Machine for assembling screw caps and containers



ugL 26,' 11930. R, N CUNDALL' 1,773,960

4 MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING' SCREW CAPS AND CONTAINERS Filed 00h22l 1928' 5 sheets-Sheet 1 Aug- 26, 1930. R. N. cuNDALl. 1,773,960

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING SCREW. CAPS AND CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 22, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 26, 1930. R. N. cuNDALL. `1,773,960v

MACHINE FOR AS'SEMBLING SCREW CAPSAND CONTAINERS Filed oct. 22, 1928. s sheets-sheet s gmmm, l N www CII Patented Aug. 2 6, 1930 UNITEDv STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT N. GUNDALL. or BLASDELL. Naw-Yoan, Ass-IGNOR rro THE HOEPNER AUTO- MATIC MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF BUFFALO,

NEW Yonx NEW YORK, A CORPORATION MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING SCREW CAPS AND CONTAINERS Application led October 22,1928. Serial No. 314,116.

This invention relates to a machine for assembling caps and containers having cooperat-in surfaces such as screws or the like, an more particularly to caps having liners or packings for engaging the container neck and' forming a'tight joint therewith.

In machines of this character as heretofore constructed theaetion of drawing the liner or packing against the neck was produced solely by t ie action ofthe screw connection between the cap and neck which at times was not sufficient to cause the neck to properly indent vor groove the liner or packing to such an extent as would ensure an air or liquid tight joint therebetween.

It is therefore the purpose of this invention to provide means whereby-the cap is subjected to an auxiliary pressure which supplements the action of the screw joint between the cap and neck andpreferably bears against the crown of the cap so as to cause the marginal part of the liner to beinde'nted or grooved by engagement with the edge or rim of the container neck, and thereby produce an air and liquid tightfjoint between the same.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a container capping machine which is equipped with my improvel'nents.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are horizontal sections taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 1.

Figures 5 and 6 are fragmentary vertical sections taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 1.

Figure 7 is a perspective view ofthe floating plate forming part of the universal joint for driving 'each chuck.

Figure Sis a side view of the neck of a container and a cap screwed thereon.v

As an example of one form of closure capable of being operated on in this machine, Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the same.

In the following description similar characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings Each of the containers has a body 9 which may be of the same diameter throughout its length, or the upper part of the same may be contracted to form a neck 13, as shown I in Fig. 1. I n either case the body of the container is provided at its upper end with an external screw thread 14. The cap consists of aflat crown 15and an annular flange or rim 16 depending from the edge of the crown and provided with an internal screw thread 61 and a liner or packing 17 of cork or other material engaging with the underside ofv the crown and preferably extending to the rim or ange 16.

To hold perishable materials in containers it is necessary that the cap be screwed on the body tightly enough so that the liner 17 will be indented by the rim or edge 114 of the bottle, as shown at 117. Ordinarily the pressure required to make this indentation in the liner is obtained by the screw .or wedge action of the thread or wedge on the container, and in the cap, and the amount of this pressure is balanced b .f\., .an equal pressure between the metal of @"frca and the thread of the container `at the sur aces 161.

Generally the material of the cap and container, for example sheet metal and glass, is such that the coeicient of friction between these two surfaces is comparatively high and very much effort has to be expended rotatively to accomplish the desired result. The cap must be held by a chucl; or similar means to rotate it into place on the container and the frictional resistance at the surfaces 161 is so high that the cap will slip in the chuck before it is screwed down tightly enough to properly indent the liner.

In this invention itis intended to push down on the top of the cap with sufficient pressure' 4to indent the liner properly simultaneously with screwing it on the container. Thiswillnot only indent the liner but will relieve the frictional resistanceA to rotation on 'the surfaces 161 and permit the entire energy of the chuck to be expended in rotating thecap.

The 4present machine which embodies the ,present invention renders it possible to exert as to produce an indentation or groove which may be turned in any suitable manner.

At one or more points in the circumference of this table gripper means are provided for holding a container thereon, four such grippers being preferably employed and arranged equidistant around the axis of the table. Each of these grippers may be variously constructed but the same preferably f consists of a fixed clamping jaw 18 secured to the top of the table and a movable clamping jaw 19, saidjaws being adapted to engage with opposite sid'es of the lower part 0f the container and hold the saine against turning on the table but compelling the same to move bodily with thetable about the axis of the latter.

The movable jaw of the gripper is moved toward and from the stationary jaw for closing the gripper upon a container and also releasing the same, this being accomplished in the present instance by an upright rock shaft 20 journaled at its lower end in a bearing on the table and journaled at its upper end in a bearing on a rotary supporting headl or disk 21 mounted on the upper end of the hub 11, a rock arm 22 secured to the upper end of the rock shaft 20 and provided with a roller or pin 23, and a vstationary cam plate 24 having a cam slot or groove 25 which receives said roller. As the table 12 and head 21 revolve the roller 23 is moved by the cam slot 25 soas to rock the shaft 2() and thereby open and close the gripper for releasing and grasping the container. The cam plate 24 is preferably mounted on a supporting plate 26 having a collar 27 which is secured to the post by a set screw 28.

The container may be placed'on the table in`p`osition to be grasped by the grippers and then removed therefrom when released by the gripper in any suitable manner. The caps may also be supplied in any approved way to a chuck which forms part of the in'eans whereby the cap is screwed on the externally threaded upper end of the container. This chuck in its preferred form, as shown inthe drawings, is constructed as follows The numeral 29 represents the upper part of the body of the chuck, the lower part 30 of which is reduced and surrounded by a plurality of clamping jaws 31 which move radially toward and from the axis of the chuck.

The chuck jaws are pivotally supported by inwardly projectingvrounded pins 32 at the upper ends thereof engaging with rounded Seats 33 on thevreduced part of the chuck body and the jaws are yieldingly pressed inwardly by springs 34 secured at their upper ends to the exterior of the chuck body and engaging their lower ends with the outer side of the jaws, the inward movement of these jaws being limited by an ejecting plunger or presser meniber- 35 movable vertically within the chuck body.

Each of the chuck jaws is provided at its lower end with a vertical face 131 adapted to engage the periphery of the threaded flange of the cap and a horizontal face 231 .arranged at the upper end of the Vertical face and adapted to engage'the upper marginal part of the crown, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

The ejecting member 35 is provided on its periphery with a downwardly tapering conical face 135 which is engaged by correspondingly inclined faces 36 on the central parts of the chuckijaws so that the pressure of the springs 34 tends to wedge the ejecting plunger or presser member upwardly and hold the same yieldingly in an elevated position. On its central part the ejecting niember 35 is provided with an upwardly projecting guide pin 37 which slides in a central lopening 38 on the body of the chuck.

As a cap is .presented successively to the chucks' each of the latter is lowered so that its cavity receives the cap and the jaws thereof engage with the exterior of the screw threaded rim and the marginal part' of t-lie crown of the cap and thereby yieldingly retain the saine in the chuck. After the cap is received by the chuck the latter is elevated and thereafter the chuck is lowered for engaging the cap with the container, said chuck being rotated so that the cap will be screwed downwardly. on the container.

The rotary and vertically reciprocating` inotion maybe imparted to the chuck in various ways, for example, by the means which are shown in the drawings and which are constructed as follows The numeral 39, representsa hollow upright spindle arranged axially above each of the chucks and capable of sliding vertically and also turning in a lower bearing- 40 formed on the marginal part of the lower supporting head 21 and an upper bearing 41 on the marginal part .of an upper suppoiting head 42 which turns aboutthe upper pa rt of the post 10.

Means are provided forl frictionally transmitting a rotary motion from the driving spindle to the chuck and also permit the chuck to adapt itself to any irregularities in the position of the neck relative to the body, which means in their preferred form are constructed as follws:-

- its upper end with an adjus'ta At its lower. 'end each'driving spindle isl provided with a driving disk 70 having an upwardly projecting tubular hub 71 connected by a screw joint with the lower end of the respective spindle. Above the driving disk is arranged a clamping disk 7 2 which is connected by a spline or key 7 3 with the hub of the driving disk so as to be compelled to turn therewith but be free to slide vertically, this clamping disk b eing yieldingly held in its depressed position by a spring 74 surrounding the hub 71 and engaging its lower end with the top of the clamping disk and lei tightening disk 7 5 which is connected by a screw joint with the hub of the driving disk.

Between the driving vdisk and the clamping vdisk isarranged a driven disk 76 which is frictiona-lly gripped by the same, this grip being preferably Aincreased by providing the upper face of the ldriving disk with a facing 77 of fibre and the underside of the clamping disk with a, facing 78 of fibre.

A` connection is rovided between .the driven disk and the cl'luck body which in effeet serves as a universal joint and permits the chuck to shift its position laterally relative to the axis of the spindle and thus permit g the chuck to properly grasp a cap and apply the same to a container neck which may be slightly eccentric relative to the axis of its body and thereby prevent breakage notwith# standing that the body of the container is held rigidly in a definite position on the table 12 by means of the jaws 18, 19.

In its preferred form this universal joint or coupling comprises a floating 'coupling disk or plate 79 arranged between the upper side of the chuck body and an intermediate driving disk 80 secured at its outer edge to the driven friction disk by a screw joint, as

shown, orin any other suitablemanner. The floating coupling disk is provided with a plurality of radial slots 81, 82 preferably four in number, two of which 81being engaged by driving'pins 83 on the underside of the intermediate driving disk 80 an the other two 82 being engaged by driven pins 84 on the upper side of the chuck body. By these means a positive driving connection is pro-V vided between the chuck body and the driven disk ofthe friction coupling which permits the chuck to adapt itself freely to the position of the cont 'ner neck and effectively turn the cap thereon,` and a friction drive between the chuck and spindle is provided which permits the spindle to` slip on the chuck when the latter has turned the cap until it is tight,

, thereby preventing the 4chuck from slipping on the cap and mutilatin the same.

For the purpose of ho ding the chuck `in its assembled position relative to the universal joint coupling and the friction drive, a retaining means 'is provided consisting of a retaining disk 85 secured to the upper end of sure is transmitted directly from the spindle to the chuck body by engaging the driving disk with the retaining disk, a friction facing underside of the driving disk so fas totransmit additional driving effect from the spindle to tlie chuck. j

Rotary motion is imparted to the chucks through their spindles by means of an annular stationary gear rim 48 arranged on the supporting plate 26 and meshing with gear pinions 49 on the adjacent parts of the hollow driving spindles of the; chuck. l By these means the spindlesare revolved as the same rotate about the stationary gear rim and each chuck andthe cap held thereby -is revolved. When the screw cap has been attached to the container ,sufficiently tight to overcome the friction coupling, then the chuck ceases to rotate but the spindle continues to turn inde,- pendently of the chuck.

The raising and lowering of the spindles and the chucks mounted thereon is eHected at intervals lby a cam mechanism consisting preferably of a lower annular lifting cam or cam section 50 mounted on the stationaryA supporting plate 26 and engaging with the underside oflrollers 51, and yokes 52, each yokecarrying one of said rollers and secured to vertical rods 5 sliding in the lower and upper supporting heads 21, 42, and embrac i 86 of fibre being preferably arranged on the during each complete rotation of a chuck around the post 10 the same is lowered to engage a cap, then raised and passed over a container placed in the companion gripper, then lowered for applying the cap to the respective container, and then raised for disengaging the chuck from the cap which has been applied to the container to permit the latter to be removed from the table. While tainerthe upper side of each yokeroller is engaged byan auxiliary depressing cam 55 -the chuck is in the cap receiving and conlwhich cause the -crown ofthe cap to be pressed downwardly against the end of the containerfor ensuring anv air and liquid tight joint between the container and cap. This auxiliary .camV is preferably" mounted on a vertically swinging forked cam arm 56 which is pivoted at its inner'end by means of a horizontal pin 57'l in a collar 58 whichis secured 'tothe post by a screw 4, and spring means for yieldingly holding said auxiliary cam in its depressed position consisting of an\ upright tension bolt 59 passing through an opening 60 in this cam arm and connected at its lower end with the supporting plate 26, and a. spring 6l surrounding said tension bolt and bearing at its lower end against the top of said cam arm and at its upper end against the head of said bolt 59.

Downward movement of the auxiliary cam is limited by a stop consisting preferably of vertical screws 8T which are adjustably mounted on the arm 56 and are adapted to engage with the upper side of the p ate 26. The auxiliary cam is so positioned that it comes into engagement with the spindle roller l of the chuck spindle and applies a downward pressure through the same and the chuck jaws against the crown of thc cap at the time the lining or liner in the'cap comes in Contact with the upper edge or rim of the container or after engagement of the liner with said rim, so that during the continued rotary motion of the cap for completing the operation of securing the cap on the container the marginal part of the lining will be pressed, independently of the effect of the screwjoint between the cap and container, against the upper edge of the container sufliciently hard to form an annular indentation or groove in the lining 17 in which the edge of the container is seated and forms an air and liquid tight joint between the container and cap.

By thismea'ns it is possible to apply much greater sealing pressure on the cap than can be obtained if the downward pull on the lining is effected solely lby the wedge action of the cooperating threads on the cap and the container during the rotation of the cap. By yieldingly supporting the auxiliary cam the latter can adapt itself to any variation in the height of thecontainer and thus automatically compensate for the same. Upon tightening or loosening the bolt 59 the tension of the spring 61 can be increased or decreased for varying the amount of auxiliary pressure which is applied to the chuck to suit different conditions and requirements.

After the cap has been screwed von the'container as tightly as is possible by the frictional connection between the continuously rotating spindle, and the chuck body, the chuck body ceases to rotate and the driving spindle rotates independently of the chuck body' during which `time the spindle slips relative to the chuck body. Thereafterthe chuck is raised and disengaged from the cap leaving the latter attached to the container while the gripper is still grasping the container. After the chuck has been thus detached ,from the cap the chuck is raised into its elevated position and during the last part of this movement the jaws of the chuck are opened and a cap is positively ejected therefrom if the same has not been applied to a container due to the failure in placing a container in the capping position.

Then the machine is so organized that the containers and caps are supplied automatically it sometimes happens that the container feeding mechanism will fail to place a oontainer in a gripper. and when this occurs it is necessary to remove the cap of the chuck which corresponds to an empty grip er in order to avoid jamming the machine y attempting to feed an additional cap at the cap feeding station into a chuck from which the cap has not been removed by a transferring operation to a container.

To avoid such a contingency means are associated with cach chuck which will anton'xatically eject from a chuck any cap which is not removed therefrom to a container, this ejecting mechanism being preferably constructed as follows The numeral 62 represents an upright ejecting rod which is slidable lengthwise in each hollow driving spindle and which bears loosely at its lower end against the central pin of the 'plunger 35. This ejecting rod is yield- :ugly held in its elevated position by a spring 63 surrounding the upper part of the ejecting rod and bearing at its lower end against an upwardly facing shoulder 64 in the respective spindle and at its upper end against a j downwardly facing shoulder 65 on the ejecting rod, as shown in Fig. 1. Immediately above the upper end of ,each ejecting rod is arranged a stop 66 having preferably the form of a screw which engagefsgwith a threaded opening in a supporting ring 67 which is connectedby struts 68 with the upper supporting head 42 so as to turn therewith, this screw being held in its adjusted positionl by a jamb nut 69.

During the downward movement ofv each chuck and its spindle the respective ejecting rod moves away from the adjacent stop 66 but during the last part of the upward movement of the spindle the upper end of the ejccting rod is arrested and the spindle completes cits upward movement independently. of the ejecting rod, whereby the plunger is lpushed slightly downward in the chuck, as shown at the Aright in Fig. l, thereby causing a. cap which may be held in the chuck, to be discharged downwardly therefrom and leave the chuck free to receive a cap from an automatic cap feeding mechanism.'

The jaws of the chuck remain in this open position until the chuck is againlowered over a cap which is presented by a feeding mecha-- nism or otherwise, and at this time the cone 85 is pushed upwardly by the cap and thereby permits the jaws to automatically grip the cap without requiring any separate means t0 open and close the jaws for this purpose.

B v adjusting the stop screw 66 the operation of the ejecting rod may be set properly llll Y rotary .15

when assembling the machine and for yadaptinclude any cooperation surfaces on the container and cap, whereby the cap is locked on the container by a rotary movement of one of these members relative to the other.

I claim as my invention l. l

1. A machine for applying an internallyf lined screwcap to a screw container, com-- prising a gripper for holding said container, a chuck for holding said cap and having a and longitudinally reciprocating movement relatively to said gripper, an ejecting member'arranged withinl the chuck and adapted to bear on the exterior of said cap, a hollow spindle connected with said chuck, means for rotating and reciprocating said spindle, an ejecting rod arranged 'in said spindle and operating on said ejecting meniber, and meang for operatingsaid ejecting rod.

2. A machine for applying an internally lined screw cap to a screw container, comprising a gripper for holding the container, a chuck 'for holding said cap having a body, a plurality of spring pressed jaws mounted on said body andv bearing against said 4cap, an ejecting disk arranged in said body and bearing axially against-the crown of said cap 1 independently of said jaws, upper and lower grasp said cap,

ber mounte driven friction disks mounted on said body, a driving spindle provided at its lower end with a friction driving disk arranged between said driven friction disks, and means for rotating-and reciprocating said spindle. 3. A machine for applying an 'internally llned screw cap to a screw container, comprising a gripper for holding the container, a chuck for holding said cap, a plurality of spring pressed jaws mounted on said body and bearing against said cap, an ejecting disk arranged' in said body4 and'bearing against the crown of said cap independently of said jaws, u per an'dllower drivenl friction disks mou ted yon s aid body, a'driving spindle provided at Iits lower end' with a friction driving disk arranged between said driven friction l"disks, vmeans for rotatingl and reciprocating said spindle, and a universal joint connectingsaid driven friction disks with said chuck.

4. A machine for applying aninternally lined screw cap to a screw, cqntalnemcomprising a gripper adapted to hold the container, a chuc body having jaws adapted to a' spindle upon lwhich said chuck bod 'is mounted, means forfrotating said spind e, and 4means for raisin and lowering/said s indle including a shi ting5 memon the spindle, a cam havin f ri id lower section engaging-with the un er side of said shifting member, a yielding upper section engaging with the upper side of zchuck body is mounted, said spindle, and means for raising and low- -and adapted i to a chuck body; having af` cating motion,

said shifting member, a tension bolt connected with .said lower cam section, and a spring interposed between said upper cam section and the head-of said tension bolt.

5. A machine for applying an internally lined screw cap to a screw container, comprising a gripper adapted to hold the container, a chuck body having jaws adapted' to grasp said cap, a spindle-'upon which -said means for rotating ering said spindle includin a shifting member mounted on the spind e, a cam having arigid lower section engagin with the underside of said shifting memer, a yielding upper section engaging with the upper side of said shifting member, a tension bolt connected with said lower cam section, a spring interposed betweenl said upper cam section and the head of said tension bolt, a stationary post to which said rigid section -is secured, and abracket which 1s secured to said post and to which said yielding cam section -is pivoted.

6. A' machine for applying an internally lined screw capjto a screw container, comprising la grip er for holding the container, a chuck body aving va rotar and reciproeatingA motion, jaws mounte on said body asp the cap, an ejecting member arrange 'on the body and adapted to bear axially/a ainst the crown of the cap independently .o saidjaws, and means for moving said ejectingjmember downwardly relatively to said jawgu on raising said body for ejecting the cap w ich may be held by the chuck. f l l.

7. A machine `for applying an internally lined screw cap to a screw container, comprising. a gripper for holding the-container,

rotary and reciproand adaptedl to"v grasp the cap, an' ejecting member arranged onthebody and adapted to bear axiallya ainst the crownof the cap independently o said jaws, and/ means for moving said ejectilfg member downwardly relatively "tosaid jaws u on raising said body for ejecting the cap w ich may be held by the chuck, including a vertical e'ectingrod engaging its lower end withsai ejecting mem er, and a `stop adapted' to be enaged by said ejecting rod uponraising the atter. f

- 8. A machine forapplyipg an internally lined screwl cap to a screw container, comprising a gripper adapted to hold said container, a chuck. body having a rotary and a reciprocating movement relative to said gripper, jaws arranged on said body and adapted to grasp said cap, a hollowl spindlev connected with said body,an ejecting member arranged in the body'and adapted to bear axially against the crownof said cap independently of saidA jaws, a vertically movable ejecting jaws mounted on' saidbody j of thespindle for causing the ejecting member to be depressed relatively to the chuck body and ejecting a cap which may be held by the chuck jaws. Y

9. A machiue'ior applying screw caps to screw containers comprising means for holding the container, a chuck body having a rotary and a reciprocating movement relative i to the container holding means, radially movable jaws arranged on the chuck body and adapted to engage with said cap and provided with inclines, and an ejecting member arranged within the chuck body and adapted tobea r axially against the crown of said cap and provided with a downwardly inc-lined side adapted to engage with the inclines of said jaws.

10. A machine for applying screw caps. to screw containers comprising means for holding the containers, a chuck body having a rotary and a reciprocating movement relative to the container holding means, radially movable jaws arranged on the chuck body and adapted to engage with said cap and provided with inclines, an ejecting member arranged within the chuck body and adapted to bear axially against the crown of said cap and provided with a downwardly inclined side adapted to engage with the inclines of said j aws, and vertically movable shifting means idapted to engage with said ejecting memier.

11. A machine for assembling screw caps and containers, comprising a chuck adapted to grasp the cap, a driving spindle and means for transmlttmg motion from said spindle to vsaid chuck including a friction coupling connected with said spindle, and drlving means operatively connecting said friction v coupling with said chuck and permitting lateral movement of said chuck relative to said spindle.

12. A machine for assembling screw caps aud containers, comprising a chuck adapted to grasp a cap, a driving spindle, a friction coupling including a driving disk connected with the spindle. a clamping disk turning with said spindle but capable of moving lengthwise thereon, a spring urging the claniping disk toward the driving disk, and

a driven disk arranged between the driving and clamping disks, and a universal joint interposed between said friction coupling and consisting of an intermediate driving disk, a floating disk having a plurality of radial slots and arranged bei .veen said chuck and intermediate disk, driving pins arranged on whereof I affix my signature. 

